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Monday, 5 September 2016

SPLIT: ‘Earthless/Harsh Toke" by Earthless & Harsh Toke (Review)

By: Jake Wallace

Album Type: Split LP

Date
Released: 27/05/2016

Label: Tee Pee Records

A sonic
collision between two giants of the heavy psych scene. San Diego’s EARTHLESS & HARSH TOKE have
joined forces for one of the most killer splits of 2016.Consisting of two tracks, this split from Tee
Pee Records is a 35 minute cosmic journey, showcasing the very best in
psychedelic jams from the West Coast of the USA.

‘Earthless/Harsh
Toke DD//LP track listing:

1. Acid Crusher (EARTHLESS)

2. MountSwan (HARSH TOKE)

The Review:

San Diego heavy psych rippers Earthless
have returned with a bang after their 2013 album ‘From the Ages’.
The instrumental trio, consisting of Isaiah Mitchell (Guitar), Mike Eginton
(Bass) and Mario Rubalcaba (Drums) have an untouchable ability to jam
flawlessly, fusing heavy psychedelic rock with krautrock and blues. Their
track, entitled ‘ACID CRUSHER’ is
actually one of their most patient jams to date and incorporates all the
elements that gave Earthless the well-deserved status of sonic
architects. The track starts off slow with Eginton’s flowing bass line,
complementing organ sounds and Rubalcaba’s impeccable rhythm. Mitchell is
incredibly patient, adding slight nuances when he sees fit. His expansive use
of pedals helps create a huge atmosphere and his restraint is vital in
maintaining suspense. The track grows and grows with Mitchell beginning to let
loose around the 10-min mark with a Hendrix-esque display of wah-wah sorcery.
This is when we see Earthless really shine. The synchronicity
displayed and the deep understanding of each other’s playing styles sets them
apart from most instrumental jam bands right now. After a few minutes of
Mitchell’s mind-boggling, cosmic solos, the track begins to wind down with the
same rhythm that it started with, easing out slowly and giving us a true taste
of what’s to come on their fourth full-length album, which is due to be
released later in 2016.

Harsh Toke also hail from San Diego and consist of
Richie Belton (Bass), Austin Ayub (Drums), Gabe Messer (Keys) and professional
skateboarder Justin Figueroa (Guitar). Their trademark style of free-flow
jamming and acid rock has garnered attention from all over the world. ‘MOUNTSWAN’ is a 20-minute colossus of thick,
fuzzed out riffs and soaring psychedelic displays of jamming. The track starts
off slow with some minor riffage before taking off into a faster, impressive
display of Figueroa’s guitar playing. There are hints of Boston trio Elder
present in the riff styling and vocal sounds. The track then slows back down
and Belton’s bass line is repeated while Figueroa and Messer create an auditory
landscape with their plethora of effects. Around the 6-min mark the track
starts to gather speed again and Figueroa launches into more blistering solos,
in the same vein as Earthless’ Isaiah
Mitchell. As the track progresses, all sense of pre-determined structure seems
to fade away and the band begin to truly experiment to see what they can
achieve through legitimately free-flowing jams. As the main riff winds down,
around the 12-min mark, Belton sets a new scene with a bass line that is
reminiscent of Berlin
trio Kadavar, allowing Figueroa to let loose
once more. There is a well-defined atmosphere created by the band but its
sporadic, chaotic dynamics add a sense of disorder to the mix. Around the
18-min mark, a solid wall of fuzz riffs provides a very thick and heavy outro
to the song, showcasing the diversity of Harsh Toke’s abilities.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

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We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks